Circle of Brothers
by trainlindz
Summary: The night before the battle in Eclipse, the Cullen men contemplate their reasons for the fight. Carlisle, Emmett, Edward, Jasper


_Written for the Take a Chance Challenge at the Part of Him Community on Livejournal using the prompts carousel and Journey's song Don't Stop Believin'._

* * *

_Working hard to get my fill_

Carlisle walks the silent halls of the hospital, listening to the heartbeats and breathing of the patients in the rooms as he passes by.

Each and every day he learns a little bit more and becomes even more intrigued by the nativity and vulnerability of humanity. Without any of their knowledge, the residents of Forks will be seconds away from an epic battle, threatening to destroy them all and all of their loved ones, and they won't even know it.

He's glad they don't know.

Humanity panics. It's their ultimate weakness as a whole. Terror and chaos take over while all of their rational disappears the moment that tragedy hits. Carlisle doesn't like humans this way. He has never been a typical vampire, loving the fear and the thrill of the chase. Humans are wonderful, similar to a piece of art. Something to sit back and observe in all its beauty whether it be classical or abstract; painting or sculpture. They are all different yet there is something within that makes them all the same; a collective unconscious of sorts.

In the hospital he sees the core of humanity and it is beautiful. The pain of their suffering exists but within these doors there is so much more. The love humans show to each other while they are at their weakest is raw and true. The hospital is a place where the truth is said, feelings revealed and where everything is so much more genuine. When they feel like all can be lost the reason for deceit evaporates. The hospital is their sanctuary.

Much like the Cullen home where they are all free to act, say and love as they please. It is the one place in their lives that isn't riddled with mystery and lies; a safe haven to truly be who they are without the masks.

They need to keep it safe for their family. All of them.

* * *

_Everybody wants a thrill_

Waiting is the hardest part.

Emmett had always laughed at the phrase talking about how the best offence was good defence because whoever had said it first would bite his tongue if they had ever met. Everything he ever did, as human or vampire, was a full front straight on attack. No misconceptions or misunderstandings, it was pure and blunt.

But now he waits.

He waits so he can help protect Bella - she wouldn't be as funny if she was killed by newborn vampires. He understands Jasper's plan of attack and agrees that it is for the best, but it goes against his nature. Why wait for tomorrow what you could have today? Again, Emmett finds himself not understanding his brother. If Emmett had been Edward, he should have changed the girl months ago. If they were going to be together forever, why not start now?

As much as Emmett loves Edward, he doesn't think that he'll actually ever 'get' him.

Needing action to kill the time until the fight, he goes out hunting with Rosalie. As he always does, he gives his prey get a head start. This is the part he loves: the chase. He toys with the deer as he stalks it from the shadows, darting in and out between the looming trees, slowly gaining on it and then letting it pull away again. It's a game that he'll know he'll win. Emmett always wins.

At last he pounces, taking the deer to the ground and snapping its neck on impact. As he bites into his prize the warm blood fills his mouth gives immediate relief which only increases as he takes his fill. He can hear Rosalie off in the distance finishing up her meal, and he finds himself to be hungry for dessert.

Moments later he is on the forest ground with Rosalie trapped beneath him, his hands holding her arms to the ground high above her head, both breathing hard and ragged. As his solid body presses against hers, he growls deeply and she responds in kind. Their eyes meet, both pairs bright and golden from the hunt, each wanting more. His lips capture hers and raw with lust the hunt begins once again.

He doesn't have to wait for this.

_

* * *

_

Some will win, some will lose. Some were born to sing the blues

Listening to the dog's dreaming mind made Edward feel slightly nauseous.

He had thought that it had been bad when Jacob Black was intentionally thinking about his Bella, but that had been nothing compared to this. This was almost intolerable. The only thing keeping Edward in the tent was that he needed to see Bella. He needed to see for himself that what was happening in Jacob's mind wasn't happening outside of it.

On a whole, dreams were amusing on the most part to him. The human mind used the dreaming process to process events around them often in nonsensical parallels and when they woke up, some of the stresses were gone and problems were worked out magically.

Jacob's dreams weren't like that.

His dreams were swirling and concrete and the message clear; everything was screaming Bella Swan. The way they would touch each other, laugh, whisper, and make love in his mind was everything that Edward wanted to give Bella himself but wasn't able to provide. Seeing it play out in his own imagination was horrible. Seeing it in Jacob's mind was incomprehensible.

Even more frustrating was that it wasn't Jacob he was worried about. Edward could see that Bella loved Jacob and he can't understand why she hadn't yet seen it. The way that her eyes light up when she sees him slaps him in the face each time she sees him and he can't help but wonder if despite their new engagement, she'll eventually change her mind and choose the safe candidate for her affection.

A small part of him secretly hopes she will, just so she can stay safe and stay Bella. He would live an eternity of despair for Bella to have a short human life of happiness if that is what she wanted.

He can't leave her again, unless she asks him too.

That was when her talking starts again. The first time she had been sleep talking in the night, Jacob had still been awake and glowing at the sound of her talking about _her_ Jacob. He had considered it a small victory of sorts while Edward had continued to stare darkly into nothingness. Something seemed off about her referring to the dog as hers. As if he was a possession and not a person. Even subconsciously, she didn't say she loved him. The feelings were hidden deep and were deeply convoluted.

"Edward… Love you."

Edward let out a breath that he hadn't realised he was holding. His heart and mind are safe as long as her unconscious mind was still filled with dreams of him. Even when was lying tight in the arms of the dog, it still wasn't him she was dreaming of. She loved Edward and it was different then her love for Jacob.

_

* * *

_

Payin' anything to roll the dice. Just one more time.

Walking into a battlefield Jasper always found that one of the most frightening sights is to come across band of brothers united. Together they stand, shoulder to shoulder. Unified for a cause and bonded as one. Armies could be built, hundreds or thousands strong, but without the cohesion of a group, an unwavering trust, it is easy to crack the lines and defeat the opponents. They were easy to crack with a group so innately linked that they would do anything for one another.

This time that is them.

And it is also the werewolves.

And tomorrow they fight together. They really would go to the ends of the world for each other. All for a girl.

He is torn.

The military leader in him is incredibly frustrated. One of his best soldiers has stepped down from the fight and he has had to ally himself with an enemy in order to defeat a common foe. These alliances never last for very long, and he wonders how long it will be until the pack is once again the other side. The truce will be broken, which is inevitable. The only question was how long they had until they were at each others throats once more.

The husband in him is sympathetic, knowing that he would do anything to keep Alice safe, wishing that no harm could cross her path. He isn't surprised when Edward said he wouldn't be joining them, as that sliver of him wished that he could do the same.

The brother in him is concerned for Edward and his potentially explosive situation with Bella and the wolf. A war over a girl never ended, no matter who stood the tallest at the conclusion of the battle. It continues to wage on. The casualties and scars always remained. Jasper knew that Bella would make the right choice in the end, as the connection between her and Edward was indefinable, but at what cost? How much damage was each of them able to suffer before it all came crumbling down? It would always be there. Tomorrow or 200 years down the line, Jacob Black would always be there, a wall standing between them.

He had once made a promise to himself that his days on the front were over, but here he was again, leading in the troops. The only change was that this time it was to protect rather than destroy.

Maybe that was what made all the difference between being the hero and being the villain.

_

* * *

_

Don't stop believing.

In the end, they'll come together for different reasons for the common goal. United and strong. Unbreakable.

Fighting for the girl.


End file.
